Bullet for My Valentine, Asking Alexandria + While She Sleeps Lead ‘British Invasion’ of L.A.

The British are coming, and they're armed with guitars, drums, bass and some killer pipes! On Friday (Feb. 5) in Los Angeles, the "British Invasion" tour officially touched down at the Wiltern Theater and left the audience thoroughly rocked.

The crowd was already in a frenzy whenever Bullet for My Valentine took the stage. Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" powered through the Wiltern speakers to the delight of fans and as the lights dropped, cheers of "Bullet, Bullet, Bullet" could be heard as the band made their way to the stage in the dark before the lights came up to the hard rocking Venom favorite "No Way Out." Getting things off to a raucous start, the band powered their way through "Skin" and "Your Betrayal," backed by an eye-catching light show. It was the fourth song before frontman Matt Tuck spoke to the audience about taking it back to their first album with a blistering performance of "4 Words (To Choke Upon)."

It was recently revealed that regular Bullet drummer Michael "Moose" Thomas would be sitting out the tour while waiting for the birth of his first child. But AxeWound and Pitchshifter stickman Jason Bowld stepped in admirably, unleashing some double-kick fury during "4 Words." "You Want a Battle? (Here's a War)" had fans singing along, and "The Last Fight" found Matt Tuck opening the song along, armed only with his guitar, before his bandmates joined in. The set also featured such standouts as "Scream Aim Fire," "The Poison" and the encore favorites "Tears Don't Fall" and "Waking the Demon."

Before Bullet, Asking Alexandria held court. As the group took the stage, drummer James Cassells performed on an elevated drumkit, raising his sticks to the sky as the other band members were greeted warmly by the crowd. They did not disappoint, as live wire vocalist Denis Stoff opened their set with an energetic rendition of "I Won't Give In." Guitarists Ben Bruce and Cameron Liddell and bassist Sam Bettley provided a wall of heaviness with some killer low end as Stoff belted his way through "Run Free" and "The Death of Me." During the song "Breathless," Stoff commanded the crowd to lower themselves to the ground, setting the stage for a tremendous pogo opportunity as audience members bounded upward. Other standouts during their set included the title track of their upcoming album, "The Black," and a chant-along finale with "The Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)." With fans cheering them on, the group responded in kind tossing guitar picks and various items to audience members before leaving the stage.

Opening the night was While She Sleeps, who are well worth the time spent to show up early. Greeting the crowd with Adam Savage's thunderous drumming, audience members were clapping along before the band opened their set. During their second song, "This Is the Six," frontman Lawrence Taylor unleashed a primal scream in announcing the track before the band delivered an unrelentingly energetic performance. Newer tracks like "Brainwashed" and "Trophies of Violence" blended perfectly alongside past favorites "This Is the Six" and "Death Toll."

The "British Invasion" tour just got underway and there are plenty more dates. Check out our photo gallery from the Los Angeles show above and be sure to catch them when they come to a town near you. See the dates for the run here.